1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to financial activities and in particular to such activities in which a financial return may be paid out based on a participant's prediction of weather-related or other naturally occurring events, and especially such events monitored and documented by an independent external information source.
2. Description of the Related Art
Oftentimes, natural events contain sufficient energy to impose potentially significant financial burdens arising from damage to property. It is the nature of such catastrophes that they cannot be predicted with exact certainty, even in severity or number of occurrences within an event season or the exact time and/or duration of an event. These types of natural events include, for example, earthquakes, tornadoes and tropical weather events such as cyclones, (a term given to all circulating weather systems over tropical waters—and of special interest here, the Atlantic basin and eastern Pacific). Tropical cyclones include tropical weather events referred to as “hurricanes” if they are sufficiently strong. Tropical cyclones which grow in intensity so as to become hurricanes originate at sea and may make landfall and travel along a land portion before dissipating or returning to the sea. Homeowners and business insurance policies typically contain deductible provisions ranging from 2% to 15% of the value of a home or worksite.
Further, these same policies do not provide any coverage for the outside areas of a home or business such as landscaping, outside lighting, docks, fencing and the like. Often, property owners do not have sufficient flood insurance or have other omissions or insufficient coverage which result in catastrophic financial losses in even the lowest rated hurricanes. Great losses suffered by property owners, such as those located along coastal and outlying areas, can be overwhelming for those who cannot afford to be self-insured. Insurance companies offer substantial aid for these individuals, but economic strains caused by unusually active hurricane seasons have resulted in relatively high premiums. In order to make certain that insurance protection is available to individuals on an ongoing basis, various legislation and regulations have been enacted. However, substantial economic burdens remain, such as high deductible amounts and excluded items, which represent damage costs which must be borne directly by the individual. Further, there are considerable delays in obtaining insurance relief, due to a number of factors outside of the owner's control, such as delays associated with adjuster scheduling, claim processing and governmental determinations. These delays are considerably extended when widescale damage occurs.
As if the present problems are not enough, it has been predicted that the increased storm activity of the past few years is likely to continue in the Atlantic basin for the next 15 to 20 years. One prediction for 2006 is that 17 named storms will occur, nine of which can become hurricanes and five of which are expected to develop into major storms, with winds of 111 mph or more. By comparison, in the year 2005, 26 named storms were reported. Of the 13 major storms that formed the past two years, seven struck the U.S., whereas, according to the historical average, only one of every three reported storms would be considered “major” storms.
In addition to increased whether severity, other factors have been cited as causes for unexpectedly large damage estimates. For example, it has been estimated that, by year 2020, a single Miami storm could cause catastrophic losses of 500 Billion—several times the damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina. This is attributed to the rise in additional property development demanded by a growing population, along with a rise in purchasing power with greater individual wealth. These estimates have not included any consideration of inflation.
Other lessons are being learned from hurricane Katrina. For example, the Great Miami hurricane of 1926 caused about $760 million in damage, in 2004 dollars. Surprisingly, if the hurricane were to be repeated at the present time (the same magnitude and following the same track) damage is estimated to be as large as $130 billion, due in large part to population expansion in the area. In the year 2020, damage estimates from the same hurricane are estimated to be as great as $500 billion. In addition to primary damage factors such as loss of property, other factors directly result from a natural event. For example, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has encountered significant difficulty in providing temporary housing for disaster victims. Loss of dwellings is aggravated by extensive loss of jobs, further slowing economic and personal recovery. For example, FEMA's hotel program for 2005 cost the federal government $325 million and, at its peak, covered approximately 85,000 rooms.
Other natural activities are also forecasted to exhibit alarming trends. For example, a tsunami occurring in the next few years is anticipated to result in a 60 Billion dollar disaster, imperilling 1 million residents, affecting 600,000 jobs locally and 2.5 million jobs nationwide. The California State Seismic Safety Commission and others have urged that local evacuation plans be upgraded to account for possible catastrophic losses. For example, in one instance, losses are estimated to include the closure of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. A two-month shutdown of the ports would cost $60 billion and affect 600,000 jobs in the state and 2.5 million jobs nationwide.